Music in Paris: lots for us golden folks!

Today is my final day in Paris and I don't have much time, but just wanted to post some of my pix from yesterday for all my friends to see. Today is Good Friday and I'm hoping to find a concert for tonight. If you have questions about any of these pix, I'll answer them when I return! Au Revoir! This magnificent harpsichord is in the apartment of my friend Skip Sempe! Isn't it gorgeous?

Can at woman play drums at age 91? See for yourself!

A friend sent me this link and I thought it was pretty awesome and impressive! See what you think! I don't know about you, but this really inspires me!!

Tumpy in the news again!

I got a call from my sister on Monday morning that my mother (Tumpy) was on the front page of the Spartanburg newspaper. I was shocked, not expecting her to be in the news again. I asked if there were an online version and she didn't know so I did a search and came up with this: http://www.goupstate.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090124/MULTIMEDIA03/901240289&template=slideshows. If you paste it in your brower it will come right up! (Or just click on the title of this post and it will come up! )Enjoy! Alice

Music for Emergencies

Well, my mother has done it again! She loves to help other people (being a good preacher's wife!) and even though she is well into her 80's and legally blind from macular degeneration, these things don't slow her down too much! The other day at Eden Terrace, her assisted living community, she said that in a 24-hour period, they had 3 or 4 fire drills; this was when the weather was sub-freezing and windy as well. On about the 4th fire drill, the residents knew that it was probably a false alarm and so the staff said they could do into the dining room to wait instead of waiting outside. Mama said that people were tired and cold and grumbling quite a bit so she suggested some favorite songs that her choir had sung in previous programs. To that they added some patriotic favorites, some old hymns, and and college songs. After about 15-20 minutes, people were in a much better mood and not so concerned about the inconvenience that the day had brought them. Maybe YOU can do this for your friends sometime?

6 Easy Steps for Incorporating Healing Music into Your Life

Step 1 Keep a collection of a variety genres of music and classify each selection according to the mood, memory and emotion they draw out from you. If you are feeling blue, upbeat rock and roll may help. If you're feeling a bit sorry for yourself, try one of those sillier golden oldies. If you are having problems sleeping, mellow Baroque music should help you drift away. Step 2 Spend a few minutes at the end of every day tuning into your emotions by playing one of your favorite instrumentals, preferably classical or acoustic guitar. Minimize outside distractions and let yourself be carried away with the melody. Close your eyes and imagine being in a place you've always wanted to visit, or a place you once visited where you'd like to return, and feel your stress dissolve. Step 3 Banish mild depression with nature sounds, the natural music of life. The soft chirping of birds, the rippling of a stream, the swoosh of the waves splashing on to the shore can help our more positive energies start flowing within us. Step 4 Stop thinking when feelings of irritation surface and start singing. There are rules to this: the song must be cheerful; the singer can be off key; and the singer can be loud. Performed with energy and passion, the singing becomes a mild physical and emotional exertion and a great way to blow off some steam. Step 5 Reduce pain after surgery, during a dental procedure, while in labor or when a headache pops into your day - all with music. There is some evidence that when used with conventional medical treatment, music therapy can also relieve nausea and vomiting induced by chemotherapy. Step 6 Start teaching music appreciation to children early. Research has proven infants react most to music and their mother's voice. A lullaby, sung by mom or just played from a CD, can help premature or low-weight babies thrive. Older children with autism, attention deficit disorder or various learning disorders can also be helped with music therapy activities.

article found on http://www.e-how.com/

Is there such as thing as "perfect" healing music?

When I go out to speak to large groups of people, someone eventually asks me what the "perfect" healing music is. Well, unfortunately, there is no one such piece of music. When choosing healing music, you want to consider: The purpose for the music: calming, energizing, comforting? The type of music the person normally likes: classical, jazz, Big Band, oldies The situation and place the music will have: home, hospital room, car? Those are just a few of the many parameters to consider. I include here an example of a piece of music I have always loved and still find very calming, soothing, and comforting. Tell me what you think!

Diabetes and Music in the Golden Years

Until tonight, I was not aware that music could have any effect on the illness of diabetes. After all, diabetes is a disorder that affects the way your body uses food for energy. Normally, the sugar you take in is digested and broken down to a simple sugar, known as glucose. Music healing interventions can be designed promote wellness; manage stress; alleviate pain; express feelings; enhance memory; improve communication; promote physical rehabilitation. Combining music and science to promote healing is really at the heart of how music healing works. Now, it seems that medical research has been conducted about music and guided imagery and several people have created CD and MP3's specifically for diabetes!

If diabetes affects you or your loved ones, just put "Music and diabetes" into the Google search engine on this page, an you'll find all kinds of interesting leads!